Of Voices and Trust
by juniper red
Summary: Kyuu somehow manages to ask all the questions Ryuu would rather not answer, but his reactions make it all worth it. Takes place in anime verse, a day or so after the kidnapping of Dan-sensei. Can be read as close Kyuu/Ryuu friendship or pre-shonen-ai.


A/N: This was meant to be a short little one-shot. It really was. Then it kind of exploded and now I have this monster thing. I was bemoaning the fact that there is not nearly enough Detective Agency Q fanfiction, particularly as pertains to Kyuu and Ryuu, and then I remembered I could write my own. Hopefully I didn't screw them up too badly.

Disclaimer: Not mine, I just wanted to see what would happen if they talked about something that wasn't a case for once.

Of Voices and Trust

"Hey, Ryuu…"

The whisper came drifting down from the bed next to him. Ryuu turned over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling of Kyuu's room.

"Yeah?"

"How did you find us?"

Ryuu had been waiting for this question ever since they got safely off the D.. He was actually rather surprised that Kyuu had held out this long, though he supposed that the shock of finding out who your father was and nearly getting blown up would distract anyone.

"Azuma told me that they found Katagiri-sensei using his computer program, but they couldn't find Dan-sensei. Then they ran into you while they were looking and all of the sudden you took off running and led them straight to where we were. I found it mostly by accident and luck, but-_"_

"I heard you."

His voice stopped Kyuu midsentence and for a moment the room was quiet except for the sound of their breathing.

"You heard me?"

"Yes."

"But…"

"I don't know how. I was… standing in one of the rooms on the first deck and I heard someone call my name. I turned around just as everyone came through the door, and they were calling for me too, but it wasn't their voices that I heard. I just… knew I had to get to you. You were calling me, so I had to come."

Ryuu realized that he had closed his eyes as he was speaking and opened them, looking towards Kyuu's bed only to see Kyuu staring at him wide-eyed in the dim light of the room.

"You heard me? And then you knew where I was?"

Ryuu flushed lightly at the incredulous tone in the other boy's voice. "Something like that."

The room was silent again for a while, then Ryuu heard a very soft voice from the direction of the bed.

"… Oh."

He closed his eyes again and turned his face back to the ceiling. He couldn't explain it either. One minute he had been lost in the tangle of his mind where his grandfather laughed and beckoned and Anubis smiled from a garden of black roses and then Kyuu's voice stabbed through his head like a lightening bolt and he knew the other boy was calling him, needed him to come and he had to get there _now_.

But he still couldn't explain how he had found him; it was as if something else was leading his body, like the time he had jumped in front of the Hell's Maestro's knife to save Kyuu's life. And wasn't that one for the record books. He almost wished he could have seen his grandfather's face when he was told that his grandson had interfered with Pluto in order to save a classmate's life. And then Kyuu and Kinta had carried him all the way to the ambulance through a storm, risking themselves just to get him to safety. And when Ryuu had nearly committed suicide in desperation to escape his fate, Kyuu had found him. Kyuu had saved him, taking him in without a second thought, inviting him into his home and family just as he'd invited him into Class Q way back on Kirisaki island. Kyuu with his naïve brilliance and bright smile. Kyuu…

"Hey Ryuu?"

Ryuu twitched as Kyuu's soft voice broke through his musings. He had honestly thought Kyuu would be asleep by now, having asked his question and been given as much of an answer as Ryuu had to give.

"Who was that man you were watching as we flew away from the ship? The one with the blond hair? It seemed as if you knew him."

Ryuu froze in shock. He hadn't thought anyone was paying close enough attention in the excitement of having saved Dan-sensei and escaped the death trap of the ship to see Anubis or notice Ryuu looking out the window, much less to connect the two. Trust Kyuu to defy expectations once again.

"Ryuu…?"

Ryuu took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He had meant to tell Kyuu about Pluto and his connection with it, he just didn't think it would be so soon.

"He was…" his throat closed up and he had to swallow twice before he could convince it to work again. "His name was Anubis. He was from Pluto."

"Pluto?!" Ryuu could hear Kyuu sitting straight up in bed.

"Yes."

"Then he must have been the one who organized the kidnapping of Dan-sensei," Ryuu could practically hear the cogs turning in Kyuu's head as he considered the new information. "Anyone else could have made the excuse that they were only following orders, but if the scheme failed, then in an organization like Pluto the leader would have chosen to go down with the ship."

If he hadn't been so tense, Ryuu would have smiled at the familiar sound of Kyuu muttering as he put clues together. But he was still waiting for Kyuu to remember the rest of his question, the part Ryuu hadn't answered yet, at least not clearly. And the part that Ryuu had sworn to himself he would answer when Kyuu finally asked.

"Ryuu…" Kyuu's voice was hesitant now. "You knew his name was Anubis… and you recognized him as being from Pluto. What was he to you?"

"I… he was…" he couldn't do it. Ryuu's eyes squeezed shut and his hands clenched and trembled. He had fought so hard to be free of his fate, to be free so he could have these friends; he couldn't lose Kyuu because of his past now!

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Ryuu opened his eyes to see Kyuu peering down at him through the dimness of the room. Kyuu clambered off his bed and sat down on the edge of Ryuu's futon, cross-legged and squinting in the gloom. Ryuu sat up, feeling vulnerable, and fiddled with the edge of his blanket, carefully avoiding Kyuu's eyes.

"Ryuu…" Kyuu's hand was back on his shoulder. "You don't have to tell me. But whatever it is, I'm on your side."

They were the same words he had used when he found Ryuu at the train tracks and brought him home for the first time. If it was anyone else… but this was Kyuu; Kyuu who solved the most convoluted murders and then sympathized with the murderer, Kyuu who missed obvious social cues but was the first to pick up on the most shady suspect, Kyuu who was so much more than just a fellow detective.

"He wanted to bring me back to my grandfather."

Ryuu's voice was low, but Kyuu was close enough that he was sure he'd heard it anyway.

"Your grandfather?" Kyuu still hadn't moved his hand. Ryuu drew a deep breath and continued.

"My grandfather… is the head of Pluto." Suddenly it was all coming out in a rush. "I was sent to live with him after my parents died, but he was never there. I was raised by the members of Pluto, being groomed to take over after my grandfather died, never allowed to play with other kids or interact with the outside world, always kept close, being told it was my fate, my destiny to lead the worst crime organization in Japan. To plan the most perfect crimes, to plan how to murder people! And I couldn't get out, could never get out, was always being watched, making sure I danced to their tune like a puppet on a string…!"

His eyes were screwed shut now, hands clenched in the blanket so tightly he was surprised it didn't tear. The words poured out of him like a river of poison until he was drained dry and left panting and shaking in the aftermath.

The silence that descended after his confession was the worst thing he had ever felt, right up there with being stabbed in the chest. Only Kyuu's hand still on his shoulder was keeping him grounded now, giving him hope that maybe the first person he had ever called friend would not abandon him for his past.

"Kyuu…?"

All of the sudden there was a sharp tug on his shoulder and Ryuu found himself falling over sideways into a warm chest. Kyuu wrapped his arms around him and hugged Ryuu fiercely.

"Thank you."

Ryuu was in shock. Of all the reactions he had been dreading and hoping for, this one had never occurred to him. Kyuu must have picked up on his confusion because he elaborated.

"Thank you for telling me, for trusting me. And thank you for staying with me, and not going back to them when they kidnapped Dan-sensei."

Ryuu supposed that he really shouldn't be surprised that Kyuu had immediately picked up on the deal Anubis had offered him. He slowly adjusted his body so that he was at least somewhat facing Kyuu, since Kyuu showed no signs of letting go.

"You… don't mind?"

"You chose us instead of them. You defied the only family you had ever had and saved my life, twice. How could I possibly mind?"

Ryuu blinked and slowly relaxed into Kyuu's arms. Oh. He supposed he had at that. Tentatively he slipped his own arms around Kyuu's waist and leaned into the hug. Kyuu sighed into his hair and readjusted his grip, leaning back against the bed. The two of them stayed there for a while, just listening to each other's breathing.

A few minutes later Kyuu squeezed his shoulders and murmured, "We should go to sleep."

Ryuu nodded and somewhat reluctantly pulled away from where he had been half-laying on Kyuu's chest to lie back down on his futon. He listened for the sound of Kyuu climbing back into bed and was surprised when instead he felt Kyuu settle down behind him on the futon.

"Kyuu?"

Kyuu yawned. "'S not worth it to climb back into bed when I'll just fall out again in a couple of hours. Besides, you said the first night that you didn't mind sharing, and this way I can remind you that you're not alone anymore."

"How did you…?"

Ryuu could feel Kyuu shrug at his back. "Just had a feeling."

Ryuu listened as Kyuu's breathing evened out and smiled as he felt one of Kyuu's arms slip around his waist. He couldn't remember ever feeling this content before. He closed his eyes and hesitantly interlaced his fingers with Kyuu's. It was nice not to be alone.

* * *

Kyuu's mother hummed under her breath as she made her way to her son's room. Normally the boys would have been up by now, Kyuu's falling off the bed acting as an alarm clock for both parties. She poked her head into her son's room and blinked as she realized why the "alarm clock" had malfunctioned this morning. Kyuu was sleeping on Ryuu's futon, arms wrapped around the other boy, who had his head buried in Kyuu's chest. The two of them looked extremely peaceful and Kyuu had a happy contented smile on his face that made her heart twinge.

"I told you," she whispered. "People who truly trust each other can hear each other in their hearts, even when they're apart." She smiled. "Never doubt your mother, Kyuu."

Still smiling, she backed out of the room and shut the door before heading to the kitchen to start breakfast. The boys could sleep in a little longer today.

A/N: Thankee muchly for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. If you could leave me a review, I would be much obliged.


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